Many types of vegetable peelers have been disclosed in the prior art for peeling vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, or the like. In addition, the use of such vegetable peelers under a running faucet is also common. However, due to the problem of handling the vegetable and vegetable peeler during peeling, it is difficult to maintain the vegetable peeler during the peeling operation under the running faucet. In addition, as the vegetable peeler is located beneath the running faucet, the direction of the running water (downwards) actually opposes the movement of the peelings (upward). Thus, prior art vegetable peelers have been subject to clogging of the space between the opposed blades even while operated under a running faucet.
There has also been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,656,600 (Barbee), a water cleaning paring knife. DIsclosed in this patent is a paring knife with a blade and a handle. The handle includes a longitudinal passage for water which discharges upon the blade as the vegetables are pared. This paring knife includes a conduit which is adapted to be coupled to a water faucet.
Various other cutting tools which include a means for depositing a liquid on the cutting blade have also been disclosed in the prior art. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,628,315 (Hamilton), a cutting tool for cutting tread designs in rubber tires is disclosed including a tube supplied with a water and soap solution which is conveyed to the cutting edge for purposes of cooling and lubrication. A glass cutting tool containing a supply of lubricating oil stored in the barrel of the tool which is conducted to the cutting blade is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,287,669 (Arai). A cutting implement for rubber or other materials which also has a fluid reservoir for continuously applying a fluid to the blade is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,042,965 (Rivard).
Also disclosed in the prior art is a water powered flexible peeler which allows the water to flow over the blades to wash the peelings clear. Such a device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,002 (Kirk).